


we'll be okay, i promise

by sunlit_tea_leaves



Category: Half-Life
Genre: Alternate Universe, Body Horror, Canon-Typical Violence, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Monster Gordon AU, Mute Gordon Freeman, Nonbinary Character, Sign Language, Trans Character, hard of hearing character, hrngh i've never written alyx before so sorry if this is ooc, hrnngh the action scenes were so fucjign painful to write, i care about them both very much, i was very tired when i wrote much of this so uh yeah, it's not mine and it's a VERY good au, listen alyx and gordon's relatonship whether platonic or romantic is very important to me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:40:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24436015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunlit_tea_leaves/pseuds/sunlit_tea_leaves
Summary: There's something...off about Gordon, something Alyx can't quite put her finger on.
Relationships: Barney Calhoun & Alyx Vance, Barney Calhoun/Gordon Freeman, Gordon Freeman & Alyx Vance
Comments: 21
Kudos: 145





	we'll be okay, i promise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lizardman Xander (Lizardman_Xander)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lizardman_Xander/gifts).
  * Inspired by [He was a monster](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24425611) by [LizzyRed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizzyRed/pseuds/LizzyRed). 
  * Inspired by [You're a Little Monster Man Aren't You Gordon?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24448822) by [Lizardman Xander (Lizardman_Xander)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lizardman_Xander/pseuds/Lizardman%20Xander). 



> this absolutely fantastic au isn't mine!! it belongs to @benrybenreybarney on tumblr (or @eldritchgordonfreeman) and the ideas/concepts in this story were inspired by chatter in the discord and @mizaska also on tumblr! :>

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> alyx discovers a mystery, and gordon is a terrible liar with incredible luck.

The mystery of who exactly Gordon Freeman was began like this. It was pure chance that Alyx even saw it, locked in yet another chaotic fire fight with Combine soldiers.

Bullets whizzed overhead and snagged strands of her hair as she ducked down behind cover next to Gordon. _Too close,_ she thought, panting slightly. _Have to be more careful._ She chanced a quick look over the barrier, only to immediately flinch back down as something shot past and grazed her cheek.

" _Jesus_ -" She swore angrily as the familiar feeling of blood trickled down her face. "They have us pinned, we need a strategy."

Beside her, Gordon hit his suit with a loud clank to get her attention, then quickly signed, "If I gave you a distraction, do you think you could take out the ones on the left?"

She frowned. “Gordon, don’t just run out there like you always do, that’s not-”

Gordon gave her a cocky grin and a stupid little wink before priming a grenade and throwing it over the barrier. With a whoop, he vaulted over the pile of debris that had been their cover.

Well. At least he was enthusiastic.

Alyx couldn't quite hold back her snort as she popped up to give him some covering fire.

The grenade exploded with a bang, leaving behind a wave of warmth and a faint ringing in her ears-which was probably worse for Gordon, considering his hearing aids. A few of the Combine patrol flatlined-one, two, three-but there were still more. Alyx's pistol jumped in her hand with every shot. 

Gordon, still charging with the gravity gun in hand, blasted the soldiers back with whatever junk he could find. It was incredible how resourceful he was. The man had a definite talent for surviving whatever was thrown at him.

Something snarled, low and electronic behind her. Alyx had enough time to turn to see a Combine soldier's fist. She didn't have enough time to duck.

Alyx doubled over wheezing as their fist met her gut. The soldier tried to grab her gun only to get pistol whipped across the face, making a satisfying crack.

They fell back, and Alyx took her chance to finish it.

The shot echoed in the now quiet clearing, and she straightened with hiss of pain. Alyx looked around wearily.

"Gordon...?" Something clattered behind her and she whipped around to see him stumble out from behind some broken concrete, arms hugging himself and swaying dangerously. "Gordon!"

Alyx lunged forward to catch him just as his legs gave out. She grunted, then slowly eased them both down until they were propped up against the concrete.

"Shit you're heavy-are you okay?" She asked urgently, only to realize that Gordon's hearing aids looked broken-scratch that, one of them was just fucking gone-and that his eyes were tightly closed, his face twisted up in pain. Alyx noticed that his hand was clutching his side tightly. She tapped on his shoulder to get his attention, then pointed at his side. "Are you hurt?"

Gordon blinked at her for a moment, looking disorientated at first, then strangely panicked. "No, I'm fine." He signed quickly. With a pained noise, he started to try to get up, still clutching at his side. "It's just a scratch-" She tugged his hand away, then froze, staring. Oily teal liquid poured out of an awful looking gash in Gordon's suit, the strange almost coolant like fluid hissing every time it hit the ground. Was it dissolving his _suit_...? Gordon started to sign something else, but Alyx wasn't listening anymore. She looked around frantically for a medkit, and- _there_! She quickly ran over, shoved the dead Combine off of it and grabbed it, then ran back and crouched breathlessly next to Gordon. He had collapsed again and was leaning against the concrete, breathing shallowly.

"Oh God hold on, hold on-" Alyx dug through the medkit until she found some clean rags, then tried to mop up the mystery liquid to no avail. It hissed and- _was it dissolving the cloth?! What the fuck_ -and she threw it away as the hissing almost reached her fingers. She was panicking. If it could dissolve cloth like that, then what was it doing to Gordon? Gordon tapped her leg tiredly, then pointed at the classic green vial of medicine in the medkit. [It's...worked before.] He signed sloppily, his hands shaking from what looked like a veritable cocktail of fear and pain and adrenaline. Alyx quickly ripped off the cap and used it on Gordon, then watched him anxiously.

For a moment, there was only a quiet hissing from the strange liquid, then Gordon let out a quiet hiss of his own. [It worked, I'm okay.] He started to get up again, but Alyx stopped him with a frown and a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait. What was that stuff? How did you get hit with it?" She asked slowly, as her sign still needed practice. He looked up at her with wide, scared eyes, then looked back down.

"...Combine surprised me. Must be a new sort of weapon they're trying out." Gordon signed finally. It was odd, but...he looked almost nervous about that. Perhaps he was afraid of such a weapon being used again? Alyx got up, then held out a hand to Gordon to help him up.

"Well if it is a weapon, we'll stop it, and we'll stop them." She gave him a confident look. "You ready to head out and kick ass?"

Gordon looked up at her with the same cocky grin from earlier. It was shakier, and looked more pained and tired, but it was _there_. Alyx mentally high fived herself.

"Fuck yeah." He signed, and took her hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slkdjfsdlj this is shorter than i would have liked, but there's more to come!! ;D

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT: after reading these posts listed below, i changed it so now gordon's signing is no longer in brackets! :>  
> https://concerningwolves.tumblr.com/post/170197552819/further-notes-on-writing-signed-language  
> https://writing-with-olive.tumblr.com/post/623366570250518528/tips-on-writing-sign-language


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